Before & After: A Berkeley Cottage Grows to Embrace Its Boulder-Studded Site

Five and a half years ago, Gabor Cselle and Erica Kochi visited a 1930s cottage for sale in Berkeley, California, and it was love at first sight. They weren’t enthralled with the house, however—but rather the lot that it sat on. "It had huge boulders, which is pretty unusual, and really interesting gardens," says Erica. "It was basically the opposite of a generic lot—it had a lot of space, and just felt so peaceful."